Hospital appliance.



' I w. M; INGMAN.

HOSPITAL APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 24, 1912.

13047323 1 Patented Dec. 17, 1912.

INVENTOR A I I I firmmn I WALLACE M. INGMAN, OF PUEBLO, COLORADO.

HOSPITAL APPLIANCE.

normal.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 24, 1912. Serial No. 711,250.

To all whom 2'25 may concern:

Be it known that I, WALLAOE M. INGMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pueblo, in the county of Pueblo and State of Colorado, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Hospital Appliances, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention is an improvement in hospital appliances and its object is to provide a simple, inexpensive and readily operated device which will enable a patient to sit up or half recline and still be braced so that there will be no tendency for him to slip A further object of my invention is to so construct the device that the pressure necessary to maintain the patient against slipping may be distributed as largely as p0ss1- ble and also may be varied from one place to another to rest the patient.

My invention will be found to be of particular utility in surgical and other cases where it is imperative that the patient be maintanied in a semi-reclining position and where little or no movement of the upper part of the body is permissible.

Other objects and advantages of my in-. vention will later appear in the specification and be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the single sheet of drawings accompanying this application and forming a part thereof, Figure 1 is a plan view of the entire device and Fig. 2 is a. perspective showing how the device is to be employed.

The device consists essentially of a combination of straps made of any suitable material and arranged substantially as shown in Fig. 1. The free ends of the straps A and B are provided with snaps 3 and 4 and adjacent their ends with rings 5 and 6, thus enabling them to be snapped around the posts 7 and 8 of a bed or the like. The strap A is divided into an upper and a lower part by a ring 9 attached thereto at a distance from its upper or free end substantially equal to the length of the strap B; and some suitable means as, for instance, a strap and buckle 10 is provided for adjusting the length of the lower portion of the strap A. A snap 11 is attached to the remaining end of the strap A in position to engage a ring 12 on the end of the strap B. The upper part of strap A is thus adapted to extend along one side of the patient to a point adacent the knees or lower part of the thighs,

while strap B is similarly arranged on the opposite side. The lower part of strap A constitutes a foot loop or brace of adjustable length. A cross strap C, also provided with snaps on its ends and with a means 13 for Patented Dec.17, 1912.

adjusting its length, snaps into the rings 9 and 12, and serves as a thigh or knee support.

The manner of using my device is as follows: The upper ends of the members A and B are snapped around the posts of the bed on each side of the patient and the strap A is carried around the feet of the patient and attached to the ring 12, and an adjustment of its length is made at 10 if necessary. The member 0 is then passed under his knees and attached at its ends to the rings 9 and 12; this will bring the strap C in position so that the thighs a little way above the knees will be braced against it and this alone will be suliicient to prevent the patient slipping down in bed when the pillows back of him have been properly arranged. To better distribute the pressure, however, the patient may place his feet in the lower loop formed by the member A,'or, tiring of the pressure given by the member C, this member can be dropped or removed altogether and the patient sustained by merely the foot loop. With both the thigh support and the foot loop in use, however, it is obvious that the patient may maintain his sitting position in bed with a far greater degree of comfort than he could with either support alone. While the localized pressure of a single support, either at the feet or at the knees, might be excessive and extremely tiring, the combination of supports at both locations, such as is herein disclosed, enables the patient almost unconsciously to shift and distribute the pressure of the supports or loops without materially moving the upper part of the body.

A pillow may readily be placed over the strap C to ease the patient or this member may, if desired, be formed of a board or other rigid material and upholstered. Adjustments may also be provided for the length of the members A and B above the strap C but I prefer to dispense with these and place the user properly by means of pillows or other support.

I prefer to make the members A, B and C of strips of webbing but I do not wish to limit myself in any Way as to the material to be employed as the particular material used forms nopart of my invention. It Will also be obvious that the members A and B may be made of equal length and the foot rest part of the device made separate and attached to the rings 9 and 12, and that many other changes in the relative arrangement of the straps, the means of attaching them to one another and to the bed may be made, and I do not Wish to limit myself tothe particular arrangement disclosed, though that is the best form at present known to me.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A hospital appliance comprising a thigh bracing or supporting loop arranged "for attachment to a bed or the like, in combination With a second loop forming an extension of the first loop and adapted to serve as a foot brace.

2. A hospital appliance comprising side straps, means for attaching said side straps to the head of a bed, a transverse strap j oining said side straps and arranged to serve as athigh support, and another strap connecting said side straps and forming a 1 foot brace.

3. A hospital appliance comprising side straps, means for attaching said side straps to the head of a bed, a transverse strap detachably connected to said side straps and arranged to serve as a thigh support, and

another strap of adjustable length connecting said side straps and forming a. foot brace.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto afiiX my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

WALLACE M. INGMAN.

l'Vitnesses:

L. E. LANoDoN, LILLIE S. INGMAN.

fiopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of latents,

Washington, D. C. 

